Linotype-mold



' C. B. HILL.

LINOTYPE MOLD.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.2I, 1919.

1,343, 171., Patented June 8, 1920.

m M 3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IN VEN TOR A TTOR NE YS C. B. HILL.

LINOTYPE MOLD. APPLICATION FILE'D JAN.2I, 1919.

Patented J une 8, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

u. w RI m5 W:

A TTORNEYS C. B. HILL. LINOTYPE MOLD. APPLiCATlON FILED JAN. 21, 1919.

Patented June 8, 19200 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- IN V EN TOR A TTORNEYS -NlTED CHARLES B. HILL, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

LINOTYPE-lvTOLD.

Application filed January 21, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES BLIIILL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have made a new and useful inventionto wit, Improvement in Linotype-Molds; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description of the same.

The present invention is an improved mold for use on mold disks of type-casting machines, such as the linotype, which are used to cast metal slugs with type faces. The object of the invention is to make a mold which will make the various changes necessary in a linotype operation without necessitating a stop by the operator to change liners now used to effect various changes in length and in thickness in size of the slug. In methods now in vogue, it is customary to carry a large number of liners which are small. metal strips intended to be inserted in the mold and which determine the length and thickness of the slug to be cast. When it becomes necessary for a linetype operator to cast slugs of a different length or thickness, it is necessary to stop the rotation of the mold disk, remove the liner and insert another liner of a different length or thickness, as the case may be. In the improved mold hereinafter described, these changes may be speedily effected without removing the mold from the machine and may be made at any point throughout the rotation of the mold disk. This results in the saving of a great deal of the operators time and obviates the necessity of carrying in stock a large number of intricate and expensive parts which are now necessary to complete the outfit of a linotype or type-casting machine. Practice has demonstrated this invention to be a decided step in the art and to be the means of considerable saving in labor costs and in necessary equipment of a printing ofiice.

In the specification following and the annexed drawing the invention is illustrated in the form considered to be the best, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such form, because it may be embodied in other forms, and it is also to be understood that in and by the claims following the description, it is desired to cover the invention in whatsoever form it may be embodied.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 192th.

Serial No. 272,292.

In the' accompanying three sheets of drawings,

Figure 1 is a front side elevation of my improved mold.

Fig. 2 is a rear side elevation of my mold with a plate removed and two bars withdrawn therefrom.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1 viewed from above.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section on the line V-V of Fig. 4:.

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section of Fig. t on the line VI-VI.

Fig.3? is a rear view of a pickup bar in operative position.

Fig. 8 is a rear View of the same in inoperative position. I

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a cross section of Fig. 7 on the line X X.

Fig. 11 is a side elevation on a smaller scale of a mold disk commonly found on type-casting machines, showing an aperture into which my invention fits.

Fig. 12 is a rear view of a regulating bar.

Fig. 13 is a front view of a regulating bar.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a slugforming key.

Fig. 15 is a side elevation of same.

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary view of my mold showing the shifting operations.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 11, the numeral 1 indicates a mold disk of conventional type which is commonly found on various styles of type-casting machines. The said mold disk is rotated by means of a peripheral gear 2 causing the mold aperture 3 to be rotated to various positions throughout a circle, in which positions the slugs are alternately cast and delivered. In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 16 I have shown on an enlarged scale, an improved mold adapted to engage the aperture 3 in the mold disk 1. The mold hereinafter described is similar in form and function. to that commonly used in mold disks now in use but is provided with means, hereinafter described in detail, for facilitating the changing in two directions of the position of the slug-forming space, which determines the shape of the slug to be cast. An operator of a type-casting machine is frequently called upon to cast letters of different point faces or different sized letters requiring a longer slug or a thicker slug,

or both, and in order to make the changes necessary to the accommodation of such larger letters as may be necessary in forming caption or head lines or larger printing faces where it becomes necessary to alter the size of the slug cast, I have provided levers within easy reach of an operator which are soconstructed that they'may be pushed into the mold and made to accomplish the necessary vertical and horizontal adjustments of the slug-forming space By this means, it is possible for an operator to change from a small slug to a larger slug, or

vice versa, without dismembering the assembly of the casting mechanism, or the insertion of other parts now used to perform this function. This operation may be accomplished at any point during the rotation of the mold disk that is most convenient to the operators hand.

The maximum length of a standard mold is thirty picas, while the smallest slug ever required 1s four pleas in length. In my 1n- 7 vention, I have divided the slug-forming portion of the mold into vertical segments or keys 4. As the smallest slug required is four picas in'l ength, I have made the first key 4-" four picas in length, and have divided the remaining sp'ace'of the mold, that is to say 26 picas, into half pica widths or 52 keys in all, in addition to the our pica key beiore mentioned. The keys 4 are F shape, having a horizontal member which is type high when stood vertically or the length of the base of said key is exactly that of a finished mechanism formolding the side of the slug opposite the ribbed side and that the parts and mechanism mentioned herein relate to the other three sides of said slug and to means for regulating the width and thickness of said slug relative to the type face of the slug. The movable parts of my improved mold are carried on a bridge 12 which spans the mold space of 30 picas and is supported by two base members integral with said bridge, said bases being numbered 12 and 12 on the drawing, thereby dispensing with all liners. The bridge 12 has depending tongue 13 throughout its length which forms a sliding fit with the groove 8 in the keys 4, which are slidable vertically on said tongue, as shownin Fig. 5.

The keys 4 are normally depressed, as shown aosition. When it is desired to cast a slu l o of any given length, a suiiicient number of the keys 4 must beraised to form an opening, such as shown in Fig. 16, at 22 of suiticient length to make'the desired slug. In

order that theoperator may know the positicns ofthe keys on the bridge 12, I have provided a face plate 23 which is secured by screws 25-26 to the bridge 12. The face plate 23 hasan embossed track or guide 24 extending across said bridge to form a guide-way for apickup bar 27. On the outer surface of the track 24, I have provided a vernier 28 corresponding with a similar vernicron the assembler, not shown here, and also to a vernier on the pickup bar 27, the said vernier onthe'pickup bar 27 being in inverse relation to that of 28 so that when it is lIlSGIiSGCi in the mold, for iiistance 4 picas, our will appear adjacent the edge oft-he face plate 23,'at 29, in Fig. 1.

. In order to provide means external from the V mold for raising the key 4*or asma ny of the keys. 4 in addition thereto as are neces-' sary to form'a slug of any given length, I

have provided the following mechanism: the

pickup bar 27 is removable from the mold and adapted to be insertedinto said mold being guided in entrance thereto by a groove 31 in tliebridge 12. The pickup bar 27 is shape in cross section through that pertlon oi ts length between the lines 3233 in Fig. 7, having a horizontal guidemember g 34 and havlng a vertical slot 36 which forms a guide for a blade 37 which is slidable lengthwise through the said slot 36. The horizontal member 34 of the pickup bar 27 is cuti'free the vertical member from the line 33 to the adjacent end of said pickup bar and is flexible at the point 33 and adapted to be depressed into the position shown in Fig. 7 from the normal positionv shown in Fig. 8. The flexible tongue portion 01 the member 34 designated in Figs. 7, 8 and 9 at 38, normally follows'behind a guide lug 39 inte ral with the pickup lever 27 when the said lever is inserted in the between pins 9 and .10 on the keys 4 and 4. When the tongue 38 is depressed, however, to the position shown in Fig. 7, it engages the lowermost edges of the pins 9, raising them in relation to the pins on the keysin advance of: the pickup bar'as it enters the mold, the tongue 38 traversing the spaces mold. It will be seen that as the pickup bar 27 is forced into the mold while it is in the operative position shown in Fig. 7, that the tongue 38 will successively lift the key a and each of the succeeding keys corresponding to the reading on the vernier on the said pickup bar, to a height of six points. In order that the tongue 38 may be raised to inoperative position while within the mold at any given point determining the length of the slug to be cast, I have provided an extraneous control for said tongue as follows: at the end of the pickup bar opposite that carrying the tongue 38 is pivoted, as shown at 4L1, a lever 42 which is pivotally connected to one end of a link a3 the opposite end of which is pivoted, as shown at 44, to the blade 37. The blade 37 is preferably of spring metal and flexible and is adapted to slide lengthwise within the slot 36 and is held therein by pins 46-47 which extend through the pickup bar 27 and also through slots l951 in the blade 87. The blade 37 at the end of the pickup bar adjacent the flexible tongue 38 is provided with a slot 52 which engages a finger 53 on the tongue 38. The blade 37 has a finger 54 having a curved end adapted to engage the under rounded surface of the lug 39 and to be depressed thereby as the blade 37 is drawn backward by the lever 42 to the position shown in Fig. 7. As the blade 37 is so withdrawn the finger rides on the rounded surface of lug 39 and the slot 52 is displaced downward carrying flexible tongue 38 to its depressed or pick up position. The slot 52 by engaging the finger 53 depresses the tongue 38 drawing the said tongue below the guide lug 39 to a position where it will successively pick up the keys 4. Referring to Fig. 16, assuming that the pickup bar 27 shown in this figure has picked up a number of the keys 4 suiiieient to form the opening 22 which is the size of the slug wanted, the operator would, at this point, reciprocate the lever 12 to the position shown in Fig. 8 and then insert the pickup bar the rest of its length into the mold. Having thus determined the length of the slug east, if it is desirable at this point to make a slug thicker than six points, it is accomplished in the following manner: In Figs. 12 and 13 is shown a regulating bar 56 which is substantially an L shaped angle bar having a rounded point on one end to facilitate its entry into the mold and having a vernier on opposite end, reading 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14, for the purpose of indicating the position within the mold of the said regulating bar which determines the thickness of the slug to be cast, whether it be six point, seven point or any intermediate point up to, and including, 14-. points, the limit of the mold. It will be seen that if the pickup bar is inserted first and the required numher of keys are picked up to form the length of the slug, that when the regulating bar is thereafter introduced into themold, it will engage those keys which have been lifted by the pickup bar by reason of the pins 10 which will. rest upon the angle member 57 of the said regulating bar. In order to lift the said keys 4 to the desired height, the vernier end or" the regulating bar is provided with a series of doi'vnwardly projecting steps as shown at 58, which corresponds exactly to a similar series of steps, as shown at 59, in Fig. 2, which are cast integral with the bridge 12.- When the said regulating bar 56 is inserted to a point where the series of steps, as shown at 58, coincides with an 0bliquely extending portion of the pickup bar, as shown at 44, the said portion 58 will rise on said oblique portion 58 and simultaneously the rounded forward end of the regulating bar will ascend the series of steps 59 carrying the regulating bar upward, both ends moving together at the same rate of speed and carrying the depending keys 4 to the required height which will be recorded by the vernier on the end of the regulating bar sighted at the edge of the face plate 23. It will be seen by the mechanism described that I have provided a means of manipulating the keys 4 vertically and a means whereby the operator may see at a glance the position of said keys determining the length and thickness of slugs at all times.

In order to prevent the molten metal from entering any crevices caused by the lowering of keys 4, 4?, I have provided a plate 61 extending within fourteen points of the bottom of the mold secured in a recess 62 by screws 63 in the rear wall of the bridge 12.

To facilitate the withdrawal of the regulating bar 56, I have provided a lug 64 integral with said bar.

Having thus described this invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A mold for disks of typecasting machines comprising a bridge adapted to span the casting area of the mold; a depending member integral with said bridge; a plurality of keys in vertical alinement sliclable vertically on said member; lateral engaging means on said keys in transverse alinement and extraneous means for engaging said lateral engaging means and lifting said keys sem'a-tim.

2. A mold for mold disks of typecasting machines comprising a bridge adapted to span the casting area of the mold; a depending member integral with said bridge; a plurality of keys in vertical alinement slidable vertically oncsaid member, lateral engaging means on said keys in transverse alinement and extraneous means for engaging said lateral engaging means and lifting any desired number of said keys seriatz'm.

3. mold for mold disks of typec astingi machines comprising a bridge adapted to span the casting area of the mold; a depending member integral With said bridge; a plurality of keys in vertical alinement slidable vertically on said member; projections on said keys in transverse alinement to said keys and extraneous means for engaging said projections and lifting any desired number of said keys seriatim and extranee ous means for further elevating to a predetermined height keys so lifted.

4. In a typecasting mold a plurality of keys of half pica thickness slidable in one direction; means for sliding any desired number of said keys to a position for engage ment by an adjusting'and locking bar, and said bar.

5. In a mold for typecasting machines self-contained means for manually adjusting the length and thickness of the slug casting 7 space, comprising a pick up member, a plu- CHARLES B. HILL.

In presence of .BALDWIN VALE; 

